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Why Watch That

You may be on vacation, taking it easy, but we can’t say the same for what’s happening in TV land. Since there are so many TV series to watch right now, we’re back to give you some insights into which shows will work for you. In this episode, the Critic and the Referee talk about the shows that they are watching this summer and why they’re watching them. They also talk about the shows that they’ve stopped watching. While this episode is a little longer than normal, it’s jam-packed with useful information and is well worth your time.

Escape Artist (Drama / Thriller)
created by David Wolstencroft
Aired on BBC One 10/29/13

Plot: Revolves around Will Burton (David Tennant), a talented junior barrister of peerless intellect and winning charm who specialises in spiriting people out of tight legal corners. He is in high demand as he has never lost a case. But when his talents acquit the notorious prime suspect in an horrific murder trial, that brilliance comes back to bite him with unexpected and chilling results, not to mention a shocking twist in the tale.

The Fall (Crime / Drama)
Premiered on RTE 1 (Ireland) 5/12/13
can be viewed on Netflix
created by Allan Cubitt and directed by Jakob Verbruggen

Plot: The series stars (Gillian Anderson) as Stella Gibson, a senior police officer investigating a string of murders in Belfast, Northern Ireland. When the PSNI are unable to close the case after 28 days, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, of the Metropolitan Police, is called in to review the case. Under her new leadership, the local detectives must track down and stop the serial killer, Paul Spector, who is attacking young, professional women in the city of Belfast.

Dominion (American apocalyptic supernatural action television series)
created by Vaun Wilmott
Premiered on Syfy on 6/19/14

Plot: It is based on the 2010 film Legion, written by Peter Schink and Scott Stewart. An army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, has waged a war of possession against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, has chosen to side with humanity against Gabriel. After the 25-year-long battle, newly fortified cities have arisen to protect human survivors.

Referee: “I will be watching something else.”

The Musketeers (Historical action drama)
created by Adrian Hodges
Premiered on BBC One 1/19/14 (airing now on BBC America)

Plot: Set in 1630 Paris, D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Porthos are a group of highly trained musketeers who fight to protect the King and Country. The Musketeers shows Athos (Tom Burke), Aramis (Santiago Cabrera), Porthos (Howard Charles) and D’Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) as ‘The Musketeers’, commanded by Captain Treville (Hugo Speer).

Critic: “The pilot wasn’t compelling,  but it was good.”

The Last Ship (American post-apocalyptic drama series)
created by Hank Steinberg
Premiered on TNT 6/22/14

Plot: After a global pandemic kills or sickens possibly over 50% of the world’s population, the crew (consisting of 217 men and women) of a lone unaffected U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, the fictional USS Nathan James (DDG-151), must try to find a cure and stop the virus in order to save humanity

The Leftovers (Drama series)
created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta
premiered on HBO 6/29/14

Plot: The Leftovers takes place in the wake of a global “Rapture”, which caused the unexplainable disappearance of 2% of the world population. It centers not on the people who were taken, but on the ones left behind, in the fictitious small town of Mapleton, New York.

Critic: “It’s a polarizing show and intriguingly good!”

True Blood (Drama / Fantasy / Mystery series)
created by Alan Ball
premiered on 9/7/08 – the final season premiered on 6/22/14

Plot: It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in northwestern Louisiana. The series centers on a telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) who encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.

Critic: “This has lasted way too long.” “The 1st and 2nd Seasons were great, but it fell off after that.”

Reckless (American crime-drama)
created by Dana Stevens and Joel Silver
Premiered on CBS 6/29/14

Plot: In sultry Charleston, where summer is long and secrets simmer behind every door, sex and crime walk hand in hand as two adversaries, a gorgeous Yankee litigator and a southern City Attorney, struggle to hide their intense attraction while clashing over a police sex scandal that threatens to implode the city.

Critic: “This show is as limp as a wet paper bag!” “You’re better off reading a book, like 50 Shades of Grey!”
Referee: “Reckless has been wrecked!”

Tyrant (American drama series)
created by Gideon Raff
Premiered on FX 6/24/14

Plot: Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed (Adam Rayner) is from the fictional war-torn country of Abbudin. He has been living in self-imposed exile in Los Angeles for nearly 20 years. Barry, the younger son of Abbudin’s dictator, ends his exile to return with his American family to his homeland for his nephew’s wedding. His arrival leads to a dramatic culture clash, as he reluctantly returns to the familial and national politics he once left.

Critic: “The writing is weak, but I like it.”
Referee: “Everything looks the part but with the sound on…. it just doesn’t link up.”

Rectify (American Drama)
created by Ray McKinnon
Premiered on 4/22/13 on Sundance TV

Plot: Daniel Holden (Aden Young) was imprisoned as a teenager for the rape and murder of his 16-year-old girlfriend, Hanna. After spending 19 years on death row, new DNA evidence vacates his original trial. He returns to his hometown of Paulie, Georgia. The subsequent adjustments and events in the lives of Daniel, his extended family, and the townfolk are related as a character study in a slowly unfolding Southern Gothic story.

Referee: “It’s slow moving, but the cast is strong and the writing is great”